A New Stage
by Ladygun
Summary: There's a new student at William McKinley – and she's got a pretty set of pipes. But after being told to be good, does she want to make a scene by possibly upstaging Rachel?  NON-CANON CHARACTER
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of its characters. I only play with them. Please don't sue (:  
>Summary: There's a new student at William McKinley – and she's got a pretty set of pipes. But after being told to be good, does she want to make a scene by possibly upstaging Rachel?<br>Rating: M for some content. Most is T, but just to be safe.**

x LG

_A/N. Reviews are much-loved!_

"Miss Colchester," the woman behind the desk said to the blonde student seated in front of it. "I'm sorry, but after what you've done now – you're expelled." The blonde sunk in her chair. Her parents would flip – getting expelled? She'd exhausted the school's 'three-strikes' policy, and after so many disciplinary actions, her parents wouldn't be able to talk her back into the high school. "I'm going to make a meeting with your parents explaining the situation, but it might come better from you first, okay?"  
>"Yeah, probably," the blonde sighed, picking up her folder from the chair beside her and went to leave the office.<br>"Alexa?" the principal called to her.  
>"Yeah?" the girl turned back to the woman who just expelled her.<br>"I'm very sorry it had to come to this," she said dolefully.  
>"Me too," Alexa lied and walked out of the school.<br>It was around one o'clock in the afternoon, and both her parents would be at work but she didn't go and hide out in her room. She'd have to get past her little brother's babysitter. Alexa decided to hang out at her job, seeing as how she was working in three hours anyway.

Alexa worked in an unusual store. It was part-café, part-music store, part-book store, and part-photography store. The owner had it named _the Shack_.  
>"Hey Lexi," the manager, Ricky, said as she walked into the store. He was the owner's son, and about five years older than herself. He never finished school, either, and was always looking down at her whenever she messed up and got suspended. She was more worried about his reaction than her parents.<br>"Hey Rick…" Alexa said detachedly, which made Ricky stand up straight from putting up new CD's.  
>"What's going on?" He said, looking at the clock and putting two-and-two together.<br>"I..." Alexa started. "I don't want to talk about it." She finished with a sigh. It was kind of hitting home what she'd done, but she was still feeling a little uncaring about the situation.  
>"Alexa, tell me what's up." Ricky said in his 'commanding' voice. Alexa always played it off as funny when he pulled that stance with other people – especially customers who were rude – but it was frankly a little scary when it was turned on her.<br>"I got expelled," Alexa told him, looking him straight in the eye. She saw his heart break – it was one thing he never wanted for her.  
>"Lexi…" he breathed out, and enveloped her in a hug. "Oh, god… I'm sorry." Alexa closed her eyes. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to come here first.<br>"On the plus side, Dad can take that job now…" Alexa said into Ricky's chest, revealing the reason she'd gotten herself expelled.  
>"Your Dad?" Ricky said, letting her go and standing an arms-length from her. "Is that what it was all about? It's in <em>America<em>, Alexa!" He exclaimed, dropping his arms to his side.  
>"We need it, Ricky," Alexa defended. "This place is going nowhere for him – and Mum can't keep us all if the business was shut down like all the others around here!"<br>"But Lex…" Ricky choked, tears building up in his eyes. "I'll talk to Pops… I'll –"  
>"No, Ricky. He can't give me extra shifts, and with school I can't get a second job. This job in America is Dad's dream job…" It hurt so much to see the hurt in Ricky's face, Alexa couldn't look at him anymore and looked down at her shoes.<br>Minutes passed in silence. "Lexi," Ricky whispered, sinking down to sit on the floor. Alexa joined him, sitting cross-legged in front of him. "I don't want you to go."  
>"I know…" Alexa whispered back, "but this is what's best for my family."<br>"I know…" Ricky replied. "Have you told your parents yet?" He was wiping tears from his face, and was doing a good job of holding his voice steady. He looked up at Alexa, his eyes were red. It broke her heart to see him so emotional – Rick was rarely emotional, and seeing him so broken… it wasn't right, and it was her fault.  
>"No, I haven't… I wanted to tell you first," Alexa said softly, wiping a tear from her own face.<br>"Oh," he said, and without warning, reached a hand up to Alexa's face and kissed her on her lips. It was quick, though sweet, and he pulled back as the bell on the door rang, signalling that someone had come into the store. Alexa sat, shocked, on the floor. She had a lot of feelings for Ricky, and yes, more than once she's imagined them being together, but had never in a thousand years thought he had the same feelings for her.  
>"Ricky? Are you okay?" Alexa heard a girl's voice say. That voice was very familiar – Alyssa Shumacker, a twelfth-grader at the town's high school – and Alexa very nearly hated that voice, not to mention who it belonged to.<br>"Hey Lyssa," Ricky greeted her, and Alexa turned her head to see Alyssa get up on tip toes to kiss Ricky. "Yeah I'm fine, just real shocked."  
>"Why? What's happening?" the over-skinny brunette asked, looking up at him, completely ignoring Alexa – that was normal.<br>"Uh, nothing that involves me, I can't say," Ricky said. He was loyal to the end, which made that kiss even more confusing for Alexa.  
>"Ricky..." Alyssa said, in her whingey 'I want' voice.<br>"I got expelled," Alexa said, standing up. Alyssa looked Alexa up and down. They were very different – even past the whole brunette/blonde deal. Alexa rarely got caught in a skirt, preferring jeans and a shirt, but it seemed that was all Alyssa's wardrobe consisted of. Albeit, she was in her school uniform, which _was_ a green-plaid pleated skirt and a white blouse with the school's emblem on it, but Alexa still wore jeans to school, and the school's blouse. It was something the teacher's constantly complained about, but Alexa didn't care. She didn't want to wear the ugly skirt.  
>Alyssa scoffed. "It was gonna happen sooner or later," she said, smirking.<br>"Alyssa!" Ricky said, disgusted at her, and looking at her like she came from another planet.  
>"What?" Alyssa said, raising her hands in defence, "it was bound to happen sooner or later. I'm just surprised it didn't happen already."<br>"Seriously, Alyssa?" Ricky asked her, folding his arms across his chest. "I can't believe you right now… c'mon Alexa, you can help me move some boxes of books out from the store room." With that he walked behind the counter and through a door that led to the store room.  
>"Right behind you," Alexa called to him. First, she stood in front of Alyssa, arms crossed and looking at her with a scowl. "What's wrong with you?" she asked her.<br>"With _me_?" Alyssa sneered. "What's wrong with _you_? You're nothing but trouble and you don't even know it."  
>"Oh, I know it," Alexa retorted. "But you're so oblivious to anyone but yourself so that doesn't come to a surprise that you think that." Alyssa tried making herself bigger by standing up straight but it<br>didn't make any difference. Alexa was wearing heels, so she was three inches taller than her already – she wasn't the tallest girl around so she made up for it by wearing heeled boots.  
>"Alexa? Are you gonna help me or not?" Ricky asked at the door, interrupting Alyssa's comeback.<br>"I'll help you, babe," Alyssa offered, walking towards him.  
>"Nah, Lyss, these boxes are pretty heavy," Ricky said kindly. "You just got your nails refilled…"<br>"It's fine, Ricky," Alyssa protested.  
>"I'm coming Rick." Alexa said, sighing, nudging Alyssa unnecessarily to go to the store room.<br>Ricky walked up to Alyssa, bent down and kissed her softly on her forehead. "I'll see you later, okay babe?" he told her. Alyssa smiled and nodded.  
>"Okay babe, text me yeah?"<br>"Yeah, no problem," Ricky said and walked back to Alexa, and passed her to the store room.

Alexa followed him. "I can't believe that bitch," she muttered, grabbing a box from the shelf Ricky had just grabbed one from.  
>"You're not a saint," he said, his way of defending Alyssa.<br>Alexa scoffed. "Well, if _she_ got expelled, I wouldn't laugh at her!" She followed Ricky back to the store, putting the box up next to the register.  
>"Well, she's a good student – I doubt she'd get expelled," Ricky said, still playing on the fence.<br>"I said 'if'," Alexa replied, rolling her eyes.  
>"Could it kill you to be nice to her, though?" Ricky asked, a little pleadingly. Alexa shook her head, disbelievingly and walked past him out of the store. "Alexa! Wait!" he caught her by the arm. "I'm sorry, okay?"<br>"Well, maybe you should have thought about that before you kissed me, okay?" Alexa said, pulling her arm from his grip and turned to walk away. Walking away, she felt a little better about getting expelled. At least if her Dad took this job in America, she'd never have to see Ricky again. Or Alysssa.  
>Yes, this was the best thing to do – for everyone involved.<p>

At home, and a box of tissues later, Thomas's babysitter finally got Alexa in a coherent state. She had made the smaller blonde woman a cup of tea and wrapped a blanket around her. The only words she'd managed to hear were 'expelled', 'Ricky', 'Dad', and 'America'.  
>"Alexa, honey, how are you feeling?" the babysitter, Louise, asked, rubbing Alexa's arm as Thomas crawled over from his cars. He was nine months old, and was babbling like a song stuck on repeat.<br>"Better, thanks Lou," Alexa thanked her. "I don't know what came over me. I never cry…"  
>"No one 'never' does anything," Louise said sagely, which made Alexa smile.<br>"So care to tell me what's going on? Without breaking down, please," Louise said, making Alexa laugh.  
>"I was expelled, for painting disabled signs on all the parking spaces," Alexa said.<br>"Like on 'Balls of Steel'?" Louise asked incredulous.  
>"Yeah, my inspiration," Alexa said with a dry chuckle. "Three strikes, you're out… and I was in O'Hara's office being expelled."<br>"Well, sweetie, I'd like to think that's why you were crying, but I know it's not… what else has happened?" Louise said, seeing straight through her.  
>"Ricky…" Alexa said quietly, taking a sip of her tea.<br>"Hmm," Louise said knowingly. Louise didn't like her cousin, Ricky, all that much. She'd expressed her dislike of Alexa working alongside him often in the year and a bit that she'd worked at the Shack. "Go on," she said.  
>"I told him about getting expelled, and he got upset, and I got upset, and then he kissed me," Alexa said in a single breath. Louise didn't seem fazed. "And then <em>Alyssa<em>," Alexa said the name with poison, "came in and he was all cool and like it never happened. It's just so confusing, Louise…"  
>Louise nodded. "That's my stupid cousin for you – his father was like it too, Mum says." Louise told her. "But what is all this talk about America?"<br>"Oh… I read through some mail that came for Dad… he was offered a job in Ohio, in the U.S.," Alexa said quietly, blushing that she'd read her father's private mail.  
>"Oh, Alexa… you don't think he'd take the job? Uproot you from the town you've lived your entire life?" Louise said, trying to reassure her.<br>"I _want_ him to take the job!" Alexa exclaimed, standing up and sitting her tea on the mantle over the cold fireplace. Thomas couldn't get it there.  
>"Why, honey?" Louise asked.<br>"Because we can't live here anymore," Alexa admitted, "all the bills are piling up, and his job's at risk, and this job would be a lifesaver and a dream come true for Dad."  
>"But you're happy for that? Leaving your friends, you family?" Louise asked, her face growing more concerned by the minute.<br>"I can make new friends…" Alexa said quietly.  
>"Ricky?" Louise then asked.<br>"I can forget him," Alexa said, her face dark, and walked into her room that was next to the living room they were in. The house was small – three small bedrooms, a living room, bathroom, and kitchen/dining. It was in good enough repair, but there was barely enough room to fit Alexa's double bed. She was thankful for the inbuilt wardrobes. Maybe a house in America would offer more room? Maybe she could lay down on the floor, stretched out? "Here's to hoping…" Alexa said to herself, lying down on her bed and putting in her earphones and turned on her iPod (a gift from Ricky, no less). She put on her favourite playlist and began singing along to it. The first song that came on was 'Little Lies' by Fleetwood Mac. Alexa skipped it, and found 'What's My Age Again?' by Blink 182 – her favourite band of all time. This song always made her smile – it reminded her of Ricky…  
>That wiped the smile from her face. She kept pushing thoughts out of her head about maybe talking to him – surely he was just being 'normal' to Alyssa so that he could break up with her later? She didn't know him. She didn't like his tastes in music apart from the top-40 hits, which Ricky liked anyway.<br>But, she was going to convince her parents to move to America, so they didn't have to worry anymore. She had to believe that Ricky was a bad guy, even if he wasn't. A guy who would lead her on and throw her away – that had to be it. Any reminder of him had to be pushed away.  
>Skipping another song, she came to 'Why Don't You Get A Job?' by Offspring, another favourite band. This one made her smile, even if it were a vicious smile.<p>

That night, Alexa and her parents sat around the living room. Thomas had been put to bed and Louise had gone home long since. Alexa put down her textbook from school – a waste now. She sighed, preparing herself for the speech she'd give her parents. Maybe they wouldn't skin her alive?  
>"Mum? Dad?" She piped up into the silence. Her mother was reading a teen magazine, one of her own she'd left in the living room that had surprisingly escaped Thomas' hands. Her father was reading the local newspaper. They both looked up at her over their publications. "Miss O'Hara, the principal will probably call you tomorrow," Alexa offered quietly.<br>Her father sighed. "What for this time, Alexa?" He folded his paper and put it on the coffee table  
>"I was expelled today," Alexa said as evenly as she could, looking at her knees. Her mother gasped, and her father just sighed again.<br>"Alexa, baby girl…" her mother started, coming over and kneeling on the floor beside her, "I thought we talked about this? There's no other public school in the district – we can't afford to send you to private school. You were supposed to keep your nose clean."  
>"I know, Mum, I know… but," Alexa paused, knowing what she was going to admit to was almost as bad as being expelled, "but now Dad can take this job in America."<br>"America? Is this what this is all about? You want to be in America?" Her mother said in an almost-hysterical voice. "Your father has worked himself to the bone for the business here – he's put in endless hours to keep it afloat, you think he'd just drop it all just to get a cushy job in America?" She said angrily.  
>"Mum!" Alexa shouted back at her, standing up. She was no longer wearing heels, and her mother was nearly a foot taller than her even though she was seventeen. "I don't want to be living off nothing because Dad's too headstrong to leave a sinking ship!"<br>"She's got a point, Kath," her father said, rubbing the bridge of his nose with a thumb and forefinger.  
>"Michael!" Her mother cried, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.<br>"You did say the only thing keeping us here was Alexa in school. Thomas is much too young for anything yet, and it would be a remarkable opportunity. The deadline is August, and its only June, there's plenty of time for arrangements and – "  
>"I can't believe I'm hearing this Michael… I was born here, it's not that hard to…" Her father wrapped her mother in a hug as she was on the brink of tears. I kept telling myself this was for the best.<br>My father must have read my mind, because that's exactly what he said – more or less. "Kath, it's an amazing opportunity – Alexa and Thomas can have a much better life than they can have here."

A few hours later, Alexa's parents had disappeared into their bedroom and the walls were good so she wasn't able to hear what they were saying but their muffled voices came through them as they raised their voices. A knock rapped at the door. "Come in," Alexa called, looking up from her laptop.  
>It was her father. "Hey sweetie," he said, sitting next to her on her bed.<br>"Hey… I'm sorry about getting expelled," Alexa said, but didn't look down.  
>"I know, I know, and in some ways – though I severely dislike your methods – maybe this is the only way we could have done this," he told her. "Your mother and I have been talking – Would you like to move out of Australia and go to America, Ohio in particular?"<br>"Yes. I hate this town," Alexa confided in her father.  
>"It's not going to be like New York or Los Angeles – it's a small city in Ohio that has no beach whatsoever, no sky scrapers, no huge metropolis," her father said, trying to see what idea Alexa had in her head that America was going to be like.<br>"I know, Dad… but it beats the hell out of this place," Alexa replied, closing her laptop.  
>"You won't miss it?"<br>"Oh, I probably will… but there's always Facebook,"  
>Her father sighed and shook his head. "If you're okay with it, I'll make the call."<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, unfortunately, or any of its characters. I only play with them. Please don't sue (:  
>Summary: There's a new student at William McKinley – and she's got a pretty set of pipes. But after being told to be good, does she want to make a scene by possibly upstaging Rachel?<br>Rating: M for some content. Most is T, but just to be safe.**

x LG

_A/N. SO SORRY about not updating sooner - my son crashed my computer! I hope you enjoy this and again, review please! Criticisms and ideas are welcome, as long as they're constructive. _

* * *

><p>Four weeks had passed since Alexa was expelled from school, and making her parents take a job in America, far from her loved ones. Today, a Tuesday, Alexa stood in front of her new house. They now lived in a small town called Lima, in Ohio, in a townhouse that was bigger than her home in Australia. It was two storeys tall, four bedroom two bathroom, and had a basketball hoop on the front of the garage. Alexa was in awe of it.<br>"Come on, baby-girl," called her father, already on the porch of the white Folk Victorian house, which was completed by a white picket fence. Realising that she was still standing on the sidewalk, Alexa took a breath and walked up the path and joined her parents and baby brother as they stepped into the house in a group.

An hour after that, Alexa had claimed her room. It was a small room (as small as you could get for all the space available in the house, that is) at the back of the house. It was around eleven in the morning, and the sun shone through the window. That was good because Alexa always liked the sun in her room in the morning.  
>The house was still empty; their possessions wouldn't arrive for a couple of weeks yet. They would be staying in a hotel paid for by her father's new employer. They were just taking a look at where they would be living.<br>Alexa hated staying at the hotel. As much as she was staying positive about the new home, the new school, the new _country_, she absolutely hated not sleeping in her own bed. She could never get a comfortable night's sleep in a bed that wasn't hers. Sleepovers, summer camps, camping – all nightmares. She would toss, turn, get up, just lay awake simply staring at the ceiling, and what sleep she did catch she'd wake up with a cramp in her neck or her shoulders. But she would have to endure – what other choice did she have?

In the first week, Alexa and her mother took their hire car to the local public school – William McKinley High School. It was scary, just driving around. It turned out that although her mother was a good driver, she needed way more practice driving on the right-hand side of the road. On the way to the school she'd forgotten twice that they weren't in Australia anymore.  
>"MUM!" Alexa screamed, as she went to turn into oncoming traffic again.<br>Her mother swore harshly and corrected the car into the correct lane. "I always hated driving anyway," she confided in her daughter, and Alexa just stared at her.  
>They made it to the high school without another near-collision, and pulled into a parking space near the front offices. Alexa let her mother fill out her paperwork while she watched the students of her new high school mill about their normal lives. It was a Tuesday, and Alexa tuned in long enough to hear that she would start the following Monday.<br>Students in the halls were wearing regular clothes. _A plus,_ Alexa thought. She wouldn't have to wear a blouse or a skirt, rather be berated for _not _wearing the skirt. She was far, far more comfortable in her jeans. There were still students who wore uniforms, she noticed. Girls in red and white, that Alexa could only imagine were cheerleaders, and boys in letterman jackets of the same colour – the athletes.  
>"Alexa? Are you listening?" Her mother broke her out of her reverie. "The principal would like to talk to you." Alexa looked at the short dark-skinned man who stood at the glass doors.<br>"Oh, sorry," Alexa apologised and followed him into the office.  
>"Hello, Miss Colchester, I am Principal Figgins." He introduced himself, sitting down behind his desk. "I want to discuss your actions at your previous school. I received a letter from your previous principal states that although you are a high-achiever you are also a mischief-maker. I do not tolerate troublemakers, Miss Colchester," Figgins said grimly.<br>"Yes, sir," Alexa said, sitting as straight as she could.  
>"As your record is so pitted with misbehaviour, I am forced to put you on a kind of trial period. If you do not misbehave within this period then this school will overlook your actions at your previous school and you will have a clean slate here at McKinley high school," Figgins continued. "Do you find this fair, Mrs Colchester?" He asked Alexa's mother, who was looking concerned at this speech.<br>"I do find it fair," she said honestly, and Alexa couldn't help but slink back in her chair. She was good at making friends, but if someone got on the wrong side of her, she had a _long_ history of making her dislike known.  
>"I would also ask that your daughter meet with our student guidance counsellor once per week during this period, so that she is coping herself," Figgins said, no hint of asking permission in his voice.<br>"Hey, woah, wait up a minute," Alexa sat up, alarmed. "A guidance counsellor? I'm not a mental case!"  
>"Alexa, calm down," her mother hushed.<br>"I feel that it would be the best, Miss Colchester, as a reporting system," Figgins said.  
>"How long is this trial period anyway?" Alexa asked, disconcerted.<br>"Three months," Figgins stated. Alexa groaned audibly. It felt like a prison sentence.  
>"I think that's reasonable," Alexa's mother agreed, nodding her head.<br>"Do I get time off for good behaviour?" Alexa asked bitingly, folding her arms across her chest.  
>"I'll leave that to Miss Pillsbury," Figgins replied.<br>"Who?" Alexa asked.  
>"She is the school's guidance counsellor. I would approach her kindly and maybe with a smile," Figgins said to Alexa, who was scowling.<br>"Is that all Mr Figgins?" Alexa's mother asked.  
>"Yes, thank you. I look forward to seeing you in school next Monday, Miss Colchester," Figgins said as they were leaving. Alexa gave him a fake grin, which was more like a sneer as she walked out.<p>

Sunday night came quickly. Alexa was bathing her baby brother, Thomas, while her parents made dinner. Her father was much happier, he worked hard but he liked his job now. Her mother was finding friends easily, and had already gotten an invitation to dinner during the week. Alexa hadn't really left the hotel. Their possessions were already starting to arrive at the house, and Alexa had already claimed her guitar back. She didn't play as often as she'd like, but during the time she had off she'd gotten back into it. Her fingertips were sore, sliding up and down the wire strings. It was her acoustic guitar her uncle gave her when she was seven. She couldn't reach around the neck, let alone play any chords, and for her sixteenth, her uncle gave her a Fender Stratocaster, one from the year she was born – 1994, a fortieth anniversary, 1954 re-issue.  
>"Lessy," Thomas called from the bath. He couldn't yet pronounce 'X's.<br>"Hmm? What's up, Tommy?" Alexa asked.  
>"Done," he said, standing up from the water.<br>"Finished playing?" His answer was a nod, and she picked him up in a towel and dried and dressed him in the bedroom they currently shared.  
>"Lessy?" Thomas called again when she'd set him down on the floor, dressed in his pyjamas.<br>"Yes?" Alexa asked, sitting down on the single bed she had.  
>"Play for me?" He asked, pointing to the guitar at the foot of her bed.<br>"Sure buddy, come up here," Alexa said, pulling the guitar onto her lap and started singing for her little brother.  
><em><br>Hey there Delilah, what's it like in New York City?  
>I'm a thousand miles away but, girl, tonight you look so pretty – yes you do.<br>Times Square can't shine as bright as you – I swear it's true.  
>Hey there Delilah, don't you worry about the distance.<br>I'm right there if you get lonely, give this song another listen – close your eyes  
>Listen to my voice, it's my disguise – I'm by your side.<br>Oh –  
><em>  
>At that moment, their mother popped her head in the door. "Dinner time, kids." She said, and Alexa stopped playing and laid the guitar down on the bed.<br>"C'mon bud, let's go eat," she said picking up Thomas.  
>"EAT!" He shouted and pointed to the doorway.<p>

"You're a real natural on that guitar, Lex," her father said during dinner.  
>"Thanks," Alexa smiled, taking a drink.<br>"And your voice is beautiful," her mother added. Alexa looked between the two. Both were looking at her in a way that made her think they were trying to convince her in some way.  
>"What's going on?" Alexa asked, sitting her drink back down. "You guys haven't signed me into some competition have you?" she groaned, remembering her 'concert' when she was younger, about ten or eleven – a 'Mini Muso' competition for a local radio station. She won, but she was mortified to perform for the first time in front of a huge audience that wasn't her family or friends. She'd rarely performed since, although Ricky always told her she could be a star if she wanted. <em>Ricky…<em> the name echoed in her head, but she shut it out. She would call him later, or text him. Maybe a 'Facebook' inbox… No, she'd write a letter. That would take time to reach him and she knew he liked getting letters in the mail.  
>"Oh, no, nothing like that, this time," her mother assured her, pulling a flyer out from her handbag that was hanging on the back of the chair beside her. She handed the flyer to Alexa. It was a poster for a Glee club called 'New Directions'.<br>"Glee club?" Alexa asked, confused.  
>"It's a show choir." Her mother explained. "I thought you could join – it could keep you out of trouble."<br>"And make friends," her father added.  
>"It might even reduce your good behaviour trial," her mother suggested. Alexa rolled her eyes at her parents.<br>"Thanks guys, I'll check it out," Alexa said, in a promising kind of way. Her parents smiled at her and Alexa laughed. "I'm just glad it's not another Mini-Muso Competition…"

Monday was a cold morning, so Alexa dressed in a pale blue flannel shirt with a white singlet underneath and black leggings that had silver embellishments in a spiral around her legs. She wore her favourite Ugg boots – black ankle high boots that had black laces and clasps.  
>"Oh you look warm," her mother commented as Alexa came out of her room. It was seven in the morning, and everyone else had already been awake for an hour. Thomas was usually the first to rise.<br>"Well I'm outside most of the day – I can't stay here in the warm hotel," Alexa snipped playfully. She yawned – another restless night. "Has there been any word on my lovely, lovely bed?" She asked, rubbing her neck as she opened the fridge.  
>"Not yet, sweetie, hopefully it'll dock within the next few days and then it's only a few weeks after that," her mother told her, and Alexa sighed. <em>Just a few more weeks of being tired and sore. Fun! <em>She thought, pulling the milk from the fridge to make herself a cup of coffee. Sitting it on the counter, she went to grab some cereal from the cupboard when her father dashed past them, pulling on his coat, and picked up the cup and drained it, disregarding  
>"Thanks, Lex, I'm in a rush – traffic was horrible last week," he explained, kissing each of his family on the forehead or cheek before saying goodbye and leaving.<br>"Mum!" Alexa exclaimed, annoyed but played it off lightly.  
>"Oh come on, you've got another hour to be at school," her mother said in a defensive way, but was also playful about it.<p>

The drive to school was long, though Alexa's mother's driving had significantly improved. "Have a good day, sweetheart," she called after Alexa as she'd bailed almost as soon as the wheels stopped moving.  
>Alexa headed to the guidance counsellor's office. She got a few stares and people were whispering as they looked on. Was a new student really that much to notice? Knocking on the door, a small red-headed woman opened the door.<br>"Hello," the woman greeted Alexa. "Can I help you?"  
>"I'm Alexa, new student, et cetera," Alexa said.<br>"Oh, yes, yes, come in," the woman stepped back and let Alexa through. "Take a seat. I'm Miss Pillsbury, and I'm the student's guidance counsellor."  
>"Nice to meet you," Alexa said, holding out her hand for the woman to shake. Miss Pillsbury looked at it for a second and then moved her hand, which knocked over a container of pencils.<br>"Oh, no, look at that," she said and quickly ducked down to collect the fallen pencils. Alexa bent to help but Miss Pillsbury had already scooped them up and placed them back in their container. "Sorry about that," she apologised. Alexa just smiled and sat down in a chair. "Okay, well Principal Figgins has asked me to evaluate you, and make sure you stay behaved," Miss Pillsbury explained. "I would like it if you could meet me on Fridays, at lunch perhaps?"  
>"That sounds alright," Alexa told her.<br>"And we can talk about your week, and how you're coping. But anytime you need anything, I'll always be here," Miss Pillsbury explained. Alexa nodded and excused herself from the office. "See you Friday!" she heard Miss Pillsbury call after her.

A few days later, Alexa found that walking down the now-empty halls of the school was getting easier now that she had a map, and wasn't constantly getting lost. She pulled out the flyer for the Glee Club's auditions in the choir room. The map that the cheerleading coach – Sue Sylvester – had given her had a skull and cross-bones over choir room. Alexa didn't question why that had been printed like that – she'd heard that the cheerleading coach was… upset… with the Glee Club because of funding, and that the coach just plain didn't like the Glee Club.  
>The flyer said that auditions started at two-thirty, but Alexa decided to turn up fifteen minutes early. Walking into the choir room, she found that it was empty.<br>"Hello?" she said into the empty room, sitting her bag down on a table by the wall. To her left, in a small office, came the sound of something crashing and a surprised yelp. A moment later, a man came out of the office.  
>He wore a grey vest over a long-sleeved button-up shirt, and charcoal slacks. "Hello? Can I help you?" He asked, fixing up the hem of his vest.<br>"I'm here for the auditions," Alexa said, pulling out the flyer from her handbag and handing it to him. "They are today, aren't they?" she asked, worrying if today was the wrong day – maybe it was an old flyer?  
>"Oh no… I mean yes, they are today." The teacher said, distracted. "I'm sorry, I just a little surprised someone has turned up for them – and so early. I'm Mr Schuester, coach of the New Directions," he introduced himself, walking over and holding out his hand. Alexa shook it, introducing herself in the process.<br>"I'm Alexa," she said simply. "Nice to meet you, Mr Schuester."  
>"And you," he replied. "Most of the kids just call me Mr Schue – they should be along soon if you want to take a seat, have a look around. Make yourself at home – we're all about family here in Glee Club." He told her. Alexa nodded and smiled, getting one in return from the mousy-haired Glee coach.<p>

After Mr Schuester went back into his office, Alexa had a look around the choir room. It had a large grand piano at the front of the class. Beside it held an array of instruments. Many guitars sat on stands – both acoustic and electric. A full drum kit sat behind those, and a set of shelves held small and large black cases which no doubt contained mostly woodwind instruments, and a few different stringed instruments.  
>Alexa loved seeing so many instruments – she was a real musician, thanks to her parents enrolling her in the music programs of her primary school. She'd gotten tuition in the saxophone, flute, clarinet, and oboe, in the woodwind instruments (but she hadn't learned them greatly, or with any proficiency), and piano and guitar. She'd tried her hand at drums, but preferred the softer instruments.<br>Alexa noticed a guitar that seemed rougher than the others – it wasn't as new or shiny. Picking it up, it was a well-loved guitar. Its tuning pegs had one or two replaced where the originals had broken off from the metal, and the bridge had also been replaced.  
>"Uh, Mr Schue?" Alexa called out to him, using the shortened name.<br>"Yes Alexa?" He replied, leaning around the doorframe of the office.  
>"Can I use an instrument in my audition?" She asked. "The song I want to perform is acoustic, and I can play it well."<br>"Certainly, but if you want to use that particular one, you'll have to ask the owner. It's not school property," he told her.  
>"Oh," Alexa said. "Whose is it?"<br>"It's mine," the answer came from behind her. Alexa turned around to see a group of boys – the blonde one at the front of them was the one who had spoken.  
>"It's a nice guitar – you love it." It wasn't a question, Alexa already knew how much he cared for his guitar.<br>"Yeah," he said with a smile – he had a very wide mouth, but when he smiled, he was gorgeous. Alexa smiled back at him.  
>"How long have you had it?" Alexa asked him, strumming down quietly.<br>"Since I was a little kid," he replied.  
>"Oh, cool. I'm Alexa, by the way," she introduced herself. He was a lot taller than she was, and she stood up straighter unconsciously.<br>"I'm Sam," he replied. "It's tuned to 'C'," he said, holding his arms out for the guitar. Alexa handed it to him. "Did you want standard tuning?" he asked, resting one leg on a chair.  
>"Uh, E-minor, actually," Alexa replied, smiling at Sam that he had let her use his guitar – without her formally asking him yet. Sam nodded and grabbed an electric tuner to re-tune the guitar. Alexa took a look around the room again.<br>The other boys who'd come in with Sam wore the same red letterman jackets, as did Sam. One of them had a Mohawk, trimmed close to his head – he looked like your typical bad-boy. The other one who came in with him had shaggy spiked hairdo, and had a baby face.  
>"You're new here," Sam said, distracting Alexa from looking around the room.<br>"Uh, yeah I am. My first week, actually." Alexa told him, watching him carefully pluck at the strings to retune the guitar.  
>"And already dooming your social life," Sam said with a laugh.<br>"Dooming?" Alexa asked him, raising an eyebrow.  
>"Well Glee isn't the most popular club, you know. It's actually one of the lowest," he explained.<br>Oh… but you have cool jackets!" Alexa replied.  
>"Yeah, but we're on the football team too," Sam laughed.<br>"Is that a conflict of interests?" Alexa questioned. It was universally known that being on a football team was 'cool' and got you a decent 'popularity score'. But Alexa would have thought a show choir would be pretty cool too, seeing as if you rank high enough you can become a celebrity.  
>"It works out okay," Sam shrugged. "Okay, all set." He said, hefting the guitar to hand it back to Alexa.<br>"Thanks," Alexa said. "I could have done it myself, you know," she added lightly. She noticed a large group of girls stride into the choir room. They all came into the room at the same time, but they were in distinct groups. In first were three girls in cheerleading costumes – the word 'Cheerios' across their chest. Two were blonde, one was much shorter than the other, and the other was an olive-skinned brunette. She looked rather mean as well. The shorter blonde and the brunette both stared at her as they took their seats behind the football players. One girl walked solitarily in, and sat beside the baby-faced footballer – she was very short brunette with an odd sweater that had what looked like a deer on the front of it. The last two girls were accompanied by a tall boy who walked between them. They all gave her looks as they walked in – most were of simple surprise, like Mr Schuester. Everyone was talking animatedly with each other.

"Okay!" Mr Schuester came into the room, calling out to stifle to the chatter. "We have someone to audition today – so please everyone settle down and we'll start off with her audition, okay?" Everyone sat quietly, and Sam left to sit down next to the short blonde cheerleader. "Ready to rock?" Mr Schuester asked Alexa, whose only response was a smile.  
>Swallowing in an attempt to calm her nervousness, Alexa took a stool and placed it in the centre of the empty space. "Um, hi, I'm Alexa Colchester, and for my audition I'll be performing Tracy Chapman's 'Fast Car'… I've always thought it sounds better when performed by a girl and—," she rambled and stopped herself, clearing her throat. "Okay…" she said to herself, and set herself up to start the song. She almost got lost in the pretty fingerpicked melody before she started to sing.<p>

_You got a fast car. I want a ticket to anywhere.  
>Maybe we can make a deal – maybe together we can get somewhere.<br>Any place is better – starting from zero, got nothing to lose.  
>Maybe we'll make something.<br>Me, myself, I got nothing to prove._

_You got a fast car. And I got a plan to get us out of here.  
>Been working at the convenience store, managed to save a little bit of money<br>We won't have to drive too far – just over the border and into the city.  
>You and I can both get jobs. Finally see what it means to be living.<em>

_Y'see my old man's got a problem. Lives with the bottle, that's the way it is  
>He said his body's too old for working – I said his body's too young to look like his<br>My mama, she off and left him – she wanted more from life than he could give  
>Said somebody's gotta take care of him, so I quit school and that's what I did.<em>

_You got a fast car – but is it fast enough that we can fly away?  
>We gotta make a decision, leave tonight or live and die this way.<em>

_I remember we were driving, driving in your car.  
>Speeds so fast, felt like I was drunk.<br>City lights laid out before us, and your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder  
>And I, I, had a feeling that I belonged. And I, I, had a feeling I could be someone, be someone<em>

_You got a fast car, and we go crusing to entertain ourselves  
>You still ain't got a job, and I work in the market as a checkout girl<br>I know things'll get better – you'll find work and I'll get promoted  
>We'll move out of the shelter – buy a big house and live in the suburbs<em>

_'Cause I remember we were driving, driving in your car.  
>Speeds so fast, felt like I was drunk.<br>City lights laid out before us, and your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder  
>And I, I, had a feeling that I belonged. And I, I, had a feeling I could be someone, be someone<em>

_You got a fast car, and I got a job that pays all our bills  
>You stay out drinking late at the bar, see more of your friends than you do of your kids<br>I'd always hoped for better – thought maybe together you and me would find it  
>I got no plans, I ain't goin' nowhere – so take your fast car and keep on driving…<em>

_'Cause I remember we were driving, driving in your car.  
>Speeds so fast, felt like I was drunk.<br>City lights laid out before us, and your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder  
>And I, I, had a feeling that I belonged. And I, I, had a feeling I could be someone, be someone<em>

_You got a fast car, but is it fast enough that you can fly away?  
>You gotta make a decision, leave tonight or live and die this way.<em>

Looking down at the guitar, she finished an extra bar of the melody after she stopped singing and heard a round of applause. She looked up at her audience, who were clapping hard. Mr Schuester was grinning broadly. "That was a beautiful performance, Alexa," he commended. He turned to the others "What do you think, guys?" he asked them, with calls of approval in return. Turning back to Alexa, he walked over to her. "It's unanimous, welcome to New Directions!"


End file.
